The U.S. Navy’s unmanned helicopter, MQ-8B Fire Scout, celebrated 10 years of flight on December 18, during a ceremony at Webster Field Annex, Maryland. The helicopter flew 15,000 hours during test and real-world operations since its first flight ten years ago. Fire Scout’s next variant, the MQ-8C w
The U.S. Navy has awarded Electric Boat Corp. a $34.6 million contract modification to exercise options to procure on board repair parts for Virginia-class submarines, SSN 792 and 793. Under this modification, the U.S. Navy is procuring mechanical and electronic repair parts that will be stored on t
The Italian Navy’s Bergamini-class frigate ITS Carabiniere left the Italian port of La Spezia for an ‘Italian industry showcase’ deployment to Australia and Southeast Asia. ITS Carabiniere is a FREMM frigate built for the Italian Navy by Fincantieri within the framework of an Italo-French cooperatio
The Russian Navy has received a new Delta IV ballistic missile submarine ‘Podmoskovye’ after the boat spent 18 years undergoing refit and modernization at the Zvezdochka shipyard. The Project 667BDRM Delfin-class (NATO classification: Delta IV) submarine had its missile compartment removed and is no
China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, started blue water drills on Saturday, heading towards the West Pacific with a carrier task group. Chinese state media reported that this was the carrier’s first “distant seas” deployment. According to China’s Xinhua news agency, the Liaoning and other s
The Blue crew of the U.S. Navy’s Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Pennsylvania (SSBN 735) returned home concluding a 92-day strategic deterrent patrol. The submarine crew entered their homeport of Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Washington, on December 23. “We are glad to have the USS Pennsylvan
After 12 years of idleness in port, U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) deployed this year for a busy 2016. After six months underway, the ship is now set to return to Norfolk on December 24. Once there, Wasp will undergo a planned maintenance availability that is expected to be fin
The U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center has awarded Lockheed Martin a $150.9 million contract for the Target Sight System (TSS) on the AH-1Z Cobra attack helicopter. The TSS is a large-aperture midwave forward-looking infrared sensor with a laser designator/rangefinder turret. The system provides the
Royal Australian Navy’s Collins-class submarine HMAS Dechaineux returned to Fleet Base West after a two-month deployment to Tasmania and New Zealand. One of the highlights of Dechaineux’s deployment was being the Royal Australian Navy representative unit at the Royal New Zealand Navy’s 75th annivers
Royal Navy’s Sandown-class minehunter HMS Shoreham has undergone an extensive refurbishment and maintenance programme carried out by Babcock in Rosyth. The shipbuilder improved the vessel’s operational capability and carried out restoration work on the glass reinforced plastic (GRP) hull. This work
The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command has awarded Boeing a $207.5 million contract to produce 51 Harpoon weapon systems components, and spares for the governments of Egypt, Korea and Brazil. Egypt is getting 20 of the anti-ship missile systems, South Korea 19 and Brazil 12. The countries are acquiring
Sailors aboard the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush came one step closer to deployment by completing their composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX) on December 21. The 3-week-long assessment tested the ship’s ability to collaborate with other ships in the strike grou
Scientists and engineers at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division have developed a way to change unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) mission information easier and faster. Autonomous systems engineers, Drs. Matthew Bays and Drew Lucas, refer to the system as “Autonomy in a Box.” Autono
The U.S. Navy officially announced December 21 that its sailors may, once again, be addressed by their rating titles that were previously scrapped. By doing so, the navy reversed its controversial decision from September which said that sailors would no longer be addressed by their rating but by gen
